Quesnel to host seven low-cost universal child care spaces

Courtesy of the Government of BC:

Families at Ruby’s Place Family Daycare are now paying no more than $200 a month per child as part of the B.C. government universal child care prototype project.

“The children at Ruby’s Place benefit from learning about Indigenous culture at a young age,” said Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care. “Ruby’s Place teams up with the school district’s Indigenous staff to give children unique cultural experiences, like learning about traditional plants and animals, and holistic and balanced lifestyles.”

Ruby’s Place Family Daycare is one of more than 50 sites chosen to offer low-cost child care to B.C. parents. The centre incorporates language and music arts into its regular programming, including Indigenous cultural activities. Ruby’s Place strives to create strong, long-lasting family connections within the community.

“We have committed to bring affordable, accessible and quality child care to B.C. parents,” said Katrine Conroy, Minister of Children and Family Development. “We’re excited to be working alongside providers on these first steps toward a universal child care system.”

The prototype sites will model what high-quality, affordable, universal child care may look like for B.C. families. In all, parents of around 2,500 children throughout the province will benefit from the prototype project.

This project is funded through a $60-million investment as part of the Early Learning and Child Care Agreement with the Government of Canada. It complements the Province’s $1-billion three-year investment through Childcare BC to move toward its long-term vision of affordable, accessible and quality child care for any family that needs it.

Parents who are not accessing these low-cost spaces may still be eligible for support through the Affordable Child Care Benefit, which provides up to $1,250 per child a month for families with an annual income of $111,000 or less. Families using licensed child care may also see savings through the Child Care Fee Reduction, which has so far helped to reduce the cost of almost 52,000 child care spaces around the province.

Learn More:

For more about Childcare BC, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/childcare

For more information about universal child care prototype sites, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/childcare/prototypesites

To learn more about the Affordable Child Care Benefit, and to apply, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/affordablechildcarebenefit

For more information about the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative and approved providers, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/childcare/optin